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Nations resolve to secure loose nukes and be accountable

Simon Mann HERALD CORRESPONDENT

WASHINGTON: The world's first nuclear security summit has been hailed a success - if only for having hardened the resolve of the nearly 50 nations attending to collaborate on locking down nuclear materials and fortifying international treaties.

Summit participants signed on to Barack Obama's pledge to secure so-called ''loose nukes'' within four years, their final communique laying out steps to improve security and accounting of materials - especially plutonium and highly enriched uranium - in an attempt to prevent them from falling into the hands of terrorists.

A stream of side deals that dovetailed with the summit's objectives further enhanced its stature: thousands of kilograms of nuclear materials are being removed from harm's way, weapons dismantled and facilities shut down.

But the mission is far from accomplished, with North Korea and Iran remaining offside and pressing ahead with their nuclear ambitions, and security concerns lingering over Pakistan's nuclear installations.

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Rudimentary arithmetic suggests, too, that there could be thousands of kilograms of nuclear materials unaccounted for worldwide - enough to build hundreds of nuclear bombs.

''President [Obama] has put his personal prestige on line like no other world leader has before,'' said Kenneth Luongo, the chairman of the Fissile Materials Working Group, a coalition of 40 non-government agencies urging the securing of nuclear material.

The communique commits its signatories to reducing their use of highly enriched uranium, ensuring that materials under their control are not stolen or diverted for use by terrorists.

The nations agreed to co-operate more with the United Nations and its watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency. The commitments are voluntary and not binding. However, the 47 countries have agreed to monitor each other. A follow-up summit has been scheduled for 2012 in South Korea.

''Today, we are declaring that nuclear terrorism is one of the most challenging threats to international security,'' Mr Obama said. On Iran, and speculation that China was obfuscating on the introduction of a new round of sanctions, he said: ''… I want to see us move forward boldly and quickly to send the kind of message that will allow Iran to make a different calculation.''

Of the latest deals, the US and Russia agreed to each dispose of 34 tonnes of weapons-grade plutonium, enough for 17,000 nuclear bombs. The Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, announced his government would shut down its last plutonium factory.

Australia, which was represented by the Defence Minister, John Faulkner, pledged to work towards ratifying the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. It would continue to work with the IAEA and had invited the agency to inspect the security arrangements at its nuclear facilities at Lucas Heights, Senator Faulkner said.